


le velo pour deux

by orphan_account



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: French Gerard Way, M/M, Vampire Gerard Way, Werewolf Ray Toro
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:21:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23335294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: in which frank moves to france and falls in love with the strange bookshop owner with unusually sharp teeth
Relationships: Frank Iero/Gerard Way
Comments: 2
Kudos: 44





	le velo pour deux

sweltering heat flooded through the open windows as frank lay on the floor, sweating, surrounded by a mess of boxes and randomly placed pieces furniture. it had been a whole day of unloading box after box of random crap into his new apartment and he felt so damn tired at that point he was struggling to keep his eyes open. his raven black hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat and he had peeled off his shirt about an hour before he ended up on the wooden floor after his muscles began to ache a little too much for him to bear.

who knew moving to another country would be so much work?

god only knows how long he was on the floor for. the sky outside had started to become crowded with angry gray clouds that inched closer to the setting sun every few moments, threatening to conceal it under a veil of gray. it was beginning to cool down outside, but not enough to force frank to start unpacking again. he was still panting like a dog, staring up at the blank white ceiling as if it was the most interesting thing in the world and listening to his music drone on quietly from the shitty speaker he unpacked.

at age thirty-eight, frank moved from his comfortable home in new jersey to a small town in the middle of france despite not speaking a lick of french. having been single since he was twenty-seven, frank felt as though there was nothing left for him in america and thought that france, one of the most romantic places on the planet, was the perfect place to go.

and so, frank sold his café, house, and most of his furniture, packed up his important belongings, and learned the smallest bit of french and went on his way to his new life.

he found his new town on one of those shitty travel websites that are plastered with pictures of perfectly teal oceans and beaches with sand that looks more like millions crushed up pearls than actual sand. but frank didn't want anything tropical, he wanted somewhere romantic. that's when he thought of france. he didn't want to move to paris, he thought that would be a bit too mainstream, but he still wanted to live somewhere big enough for him to meet people. and that's how he stumbled across annecy.

the old cobblestone streets and winding canals drew him in immediately. it was like he was a moth and this was his flame. he just had to be there. it was perfect. each and every picture he saw of the town made him fall deeper and deeper in love with it. it was set in his mind. he was going to live there.

his apartment was a small, light pink building along the canals. every single balcony was lined with flowers of every color. vines crept up the sides of the building, coating parts of it in a vibrant green pelt. the inside was light and the perfect size for him. it was almost a dream come true. and now he was there.

on the floor, he laughed to himself, softly at first, but progressively louder and harder until his ribs hurt and his eyes watered. he was actually here. he was in the city he had dreamed of for months on end. the joy spread through his small body like a disease, infecting every inch of him until it burst out, pouring from his lips in loud wheezes. his fit was only interrupted by a knock at the door.

he peeled himself off the floor reluctantly, sweat slightly gluing him down against the wooden planks. he stepped over boxes and spilled objects on the way to the light yellow door. opening it up revealed a man with wild hair. his brown curls flew out in every direction, somehow looking both neat and messy at the same time. he flashed a shiny white grin at frank as soon as he opened the door.

"salut!" he said cheerfully, the grin never faltering.

"uh, salut," frank replied awkwardly, his hand still gripping the side of the door.

"j'ai remarqué que tu n'avais pas de fleurs sur ton balcon," the man continued, completely ignoring frank's shitty attempt at a french accent.

"quoi?" frank asked, his accent even worse this time.

"fleurs. il n'y a pas de fleurs sur ton balcon," the man stated again, as if frank could understand him. frank only understood fleurs. was this man trying to seduce him with flowers?

"uh... parlez vous anglais?" frank asked, shifting on his feet awkwardly.

"flowers. you don't have any flowers on your balcony. can i come in?" the man asked, his french accent still thick over his almost perfect english.

frank nodded and stepped to the side. the taller man sauntered into the kitchen casually like it wasn't a strangers apartment. frank noticed how his light brown hair bounced as he walked.

"you just get here?" he asked, leaning against the countertop. frank nodded. "i can tell. you don't have any flowers. my name's ray, by the way."

"frank. what's with you and flowers?"

"everybody in this building has flowers on their balcony. i noticed while on my own balcony that your balcony doesn't. it ruins the thing we had going. get some."

frank only nodded, too confused to say anything in response. ray's grin widened as he pushed himself off of the counter and went over to frank, taking his tattooed hand into his own and giving it a firm shake.

"it was a pleasure meeting you, frank. although, next time, it would be nice if you wore a shirt," ray teased as he waltzed out of the apartment.

frank looked down as his bare chest and groaned loudly, feeling his face heat up in embarrassment. how did he forget he was shirtless? it felt like the heat from outside had melted his brain.

frank found his discarded shirt and pulled it over his sweat-soaked head, the cotton immediately feeling like an extra layer of pure heat. he still hadn't found the air conditioning in his room, but he knew he'd be in heaven when he found it.

he walked out to his balcony overlooking the blue canal, sitting down on the singular chair he had dragged out there. when he looked at his, his balcony really did stand out due to the lack of flowers, but not in a good way. frank didn't know shit about growing or tending to flowers. he barely even knew how to care for himself.

the sun was now gone from the sky and the moon was blanketed with a thick layer of angry gray clouds and, even though the sun was gone, frank was still drenched with sweat as he sat outside in the humid summer air. people began to tuck themselves into their apartments and the streets slowly cleared up. his stomach growled, making him realize that he didn't have any food in the house.

he grabbed his keys and wallet and tucked them into his pockets before pushing open his yellow front door and making his way down to the old streets. more people hid away in their homes as the wind picked up, tugging at frank's pant legs and his sweaty hair. he still kept walking, forcing himself forward by the sheer willpower of his hungry stomach.

raindrops began to drip from the sky, slowly dotting the ground as they fell gracefully. frank pushed his way through the glass doors of the grocery store and quickly bought the bare minimum of supplies he would need before practically running out of the store in a futile attempt to escape from the rain.

rain poured from the sky, drenching frank as soon as he exited the building. the streets were completely deserted, the windows on the buildings that lined them glowing with warm shades of yellow. frank groaned, running his free hand through his hair before beginning to make his way slowly to his new home. there was no point in trying to escape the rain, it had already encompassed him and the world around him.

thunder crackled in the dark sky, shaking the world as bright flashes of light lit it up temporarily. wind howled in frank's ears and suddenly, the walk seemed even longer than it was before. frank looked up at the sky and hoped that the incessant rain would stop or that maybe, just maybe he'd be inside sooner.

a store door opened up, the warm light from inside streaming out into the street. a man held the door open, looking expectantly at frank. frank just stared, bewildered as to what was happening. frustratedly, the man gestured toward the open door. frank understood and was in the building in a heartbeat.

"merci! merci! merci beaucoup!" frank repeated, clasping his hands together to drive the point in a little more. the stranger laughed and frank immediately noticed the way his hazel eyes crinkled up at the corners as he did so. frank shook his head a bit, squeezing his hands together awkwardly. "parlez vous anglais?"

the man's smile fell a bit. "non. pardon." he gestured to the section behind him. it was filled with comfortable chairs and dark wooden tables, all thrown together in an orderly fashion. in the back, there was a counter made from the same dark wood that was crowded with baked goods and strange machines. "café?"

frank nodded vigorously, causing the stranger to laugh again. he had peculiar teeth. while most of them were straight and white and unusually small, his canines seemed to be longer and pointier than average, almost like a set of vampire fangs. whenever he laughed, his lips would curl up to reveal these teeth.

the man's hands flew over the machines with familiarity and grace, his fingers working fast as they clicked the buttons they had dedicated to muscle memory. frank smiled to himself. watching the man-made him think of his old café in new jersey.

it was a comfortable corner store, on streets tucked away from the highway, but still close enough to draw the attention of sleepy drivers and caffeine addicts in withdrawal. the walls were painted a light cream color, the two facing the streets being mostly consumed by crystal clear windows. it was a warm, calm place where people often went to get work done. it had been frank's dream since he started drinking coffee and he sold it all in the name of love.

he was roused from his thoughts by a white mug being placed in front of him. the light brown liquid inside was broken by a single heart made in cream that made frank smile even wider.

"merci," he said to the man, who now sat across from him in one of the wooden chairs.

"de rien," the man smiled, his smooth hands wrapped around his mug. frank attempted to shift his focus from the man's smile to his face, but it was as if his teeth had a pull on frank's gaze. he had a short and scraggly beard that was painted with gray and white streaks. his hair was a long, brown mess that tumbled down to his shoulders. frank tried to focus on his warm hazel eyes, but those sharp teeth kept tugging his focus away. the man cleared his throat awkwardly. "je m'apelle gerard."

frank actually understood him from the thirty minutes worth of french lessons he took on the plane. "je suis frank."

"parlez vous français?" gerard asked after a moment of silence, quirking an eyebrow at frank. frank shook his head, slightly upset that he didn't. he was finally wondering how he was going to meet people if he didn't speak their language. "zut."

frank took a sip from the mug. the hot liquid spilled down his throat, leaving his stomach warm as it dripped down into it. the flavor of it filled his senses, making him forget the world around him for a moment as the coffee flowed over his tongue. it was the second best coffee he had ever had, next to his own.

frank set down the mug, afraid he was shaking from the initial shock of the flavor. gerard smiled again, his face lighting up as he watched frank's reaction to the pungent taste.

"i used to have my own café back in america. i sold it to move here though. now, i'm wondering if that was such a good idea," frank chuckled, his laugh hinting a trace of sadness. "but i think it'll be worth it. and i know you can't understand me, but it's good to talk."

with every word frank said, gerard seemed to hold onto each of them even though he couldn't understand. he nodded along as frank rambled on and on about his old life in new jersey. he went on for what seemed like hours as time ticked by quickly.

frank checked the time on his phone and cringed slightly. "jesus, it's late. i've gotta get going. thank you so much for the coffee and letting me in here, uh, merci beaucoup."

frank approached the old wooden doors, gerard following close behind. as soon as his tattooed hand wrapped around the golden handles, gerard stopped him with a hand on the shoulder and a shake of his head before disappearing into a back room. frank waited awkwardly, shifting his weight from one foot to another before gerard appeared again, this time with a large black umbrella and another toothy grin. frank grinned back, his cheeks warming up slightly and his heart fluttering in his chest like a bird settling on a branch.

gerard pulled frank into a tight hug, his cold body immediately shocking frank. and yet, frank hugged back, his head pressed against the eccentric man's shoulder. gerard let go first, pressing the umbrella to frank's chest with a warm smile before walking him out the door.

"merci," frank said for the millionth time that night.

gerard chuckled and shook his head. "adieu, frank."

"adieu," frank replied, opening up the large umbrella.

he stepped out into the rain with a wide smile plastered on his pale face. the smile didn't falter his entire walk home in the pouring rain.

**Author's Note:**

> my friend seb actually came up with this idea! his twitter is @homiesexuals if you want to follow him. as always, please enjoy this story! it’s a vampire fic cause lord knows i love those funky beasts.


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